Defender Axle Refurb How To Strip Down, Replace Gaskets, Wheel Bearings, Paint & Rebuild. Land Rover

Finally back on the Land Rover.
When stripping down to replace all the gaskets and seals i found the wheel bearing was in its early stages of wear
Rathar than cleaning and greasing i decided to fully rebuild the axle and hubs with new bearing, seals and gaskets
I also rub down and prime the axle

[@Simon-tg7jg]

Awesome - thanks for sharing Tom ! Cheers Simon

[@lifes.projects]

Thanks Simon

[@wildanimals8108]

Hi, your videos are so helpful i have learn a lot from them so i downloaded all of them.

[@lifes.projects]

Thats great to hear! Thank you!

[@kallikalla]

Very helpful video for me, thanks.

[@AlexandreSchmidtBR]

Great video! Thanks a lot!

[@andicog]

If your doing a Puma or Td5 (or Wolf) please check the bearing end float and don't just install the original centre spacer, there's a reason LR sell the spacer in different sizes. Also both the disc bolts and especially the stub axle bolts should have thread lock on, not copperslip, a torque wrench wouldn't go amiss either. 👍

[@evolution0016]

Liked this video within the first 10 seconds 😂 i ask my dog the same kinda questions. 😂😂😂

[@jellekrijnders2012]

Hi Life! Nice clear video. Well done. One question: why didn't you use this bearing/seal driver tool to knock the new seal in it's place?

[@lifes.projects]

Thank you. Good question! The seal isnt strong enough on the inside where a seal driver would mount but also there is a lip on this particular brand so i wouldn't be able to push it in with something flat it had to be something the same diameter to push down on the edges. Hope this makes sense.

[@TheDuke279]

Nice video! Thanks a lot!!! Could you please send me the part number or a link for the Franklin tool? Many thanks! Luca

[@tomagar2992]

Hi, great video - thanks! How did you clean up your rusty parts? Stub axle etc. They come off looking a bit worse for wear but on your bench nice and clean! Cheers

[@lifes.projects]

Thank you. I cleaned them best I could in the vice. Where it was rusty I did it with the needle gun, wire brush and the flap blades on the grinder. The stub axle itself I just used some enri cloth and brake cleaner.

[@tomagar2992]

Life's Projects thanks! Do you clean up both sides of stub axle? Not sure whether to touch the mating face. Cheers

[@lifes.projects]

@@tomagar2992 Yeah cleaned the mating surface up too. Just ensures its nice and flat for a good seal.

[@ap6640]

Thanks for the video! With the Franklin TA157, which size tool do you use for the races? I can’t get hold of a TA157 and the kit I bought doesn’t appear to be the correct size! Thanks in advance

[@lifes.projects]

Hi Andy without looking I am not sure. It was the closest fit i had. I can't remember now if it was an exact fit but i have loads with it. The other thing you can do is turn the old race upside down and use that to drift your new race in.

[@ap6640]

@@lifes.projects nice one, it seems to be somewhere between 72-76mm. Will have a look around online to see if I can get sizes in between, failing that I’ll use the old races! Thanks again!

[@gavinbroad1743]

Did you do anything with the input flange and bearing?

[@lifes.projects]

I had already replaced the input seals before stripping down the land rover

[@morganhanson7940]

Hi my girlfriend recently bought a 2014 Defender (I apologize in advance as I have mo knowledge of these) we live in different countries and I have only just got a look at the vehicle the front axel as a slow leak (more of an ooze) around the sealant. Any ideas on the course of this and if it can be repaired would be massively appreciated!

[@lifes.projects]

I am just on with my front axle now. If it is leaking from the diff the only cure would be to remove it clean and re-seal it. Not straight forward as you need to remove the hubs and the stub axles to remove the half shafts.

[@GrumpsBarn]

Hang on a minute...you have a Landy?......I thought you were a paving channel.... ;)

[@lifes.projects]

Has it been that long??? 🤣

[@GrumpsBarn]

@@lifes.projects 😂😂😂

[@jontis9114]

Hi Tom I know this is an old video but what size is the large socket you use for the nut to get the disk off ?? Thank you

[@lifes.projects]

52mm you can get either a socket or box spanner.

[@jontis9114]

@@lifes.projects thank you

[@TheDuke279]

😂😂 sorry! I stopped the video and asked you for the number of the tool! I had to wait only 30 seconds more to get my question answered!!👍

[@lifes.projects]

Haha No problem. Glad you enjoyed the video. Don't forget to subscribe! Theres a lot of upgrades coming for the Puma 😜

[@gavinbroad1743]

Had you already drained the axle before you started that?

[@lifes.projects]

Yes i had drained all the fluids prior to taking it apart

[@gavinbroad1743]

@@lifes.projects I'm starting the front today. I wish I could send you a pic of the concrete layer that covered most of the undercarriage. Seawater and Somalian desert.

[@gavinbroad1743]

Perhaps not on an axle, but do you use rust converter?

[@lifes.projects]

Depending on the area and how bad the rust is. If its too bad i will usually cut out and repair or replace.

[@gavinbroad1743]

@@lifes.projects I use it as a prophylactic. It's not advertised for that, but it works very well.

[@lifes.projects]

@@gavinbroad1743 Al have a look into that thank you 👍

[@gavinbroad1743]

@@lifes.projects Ping me a PM (is that possible??) and I'll set out the process.

[@gavinbroad1743]

Was the axle undersealed? If it was, how did you get that off?

[@lifes.projects]

Yes it had underseal on it. I scraped it off, used a needle gun and flat discs on the grinder. Have a look at the chassis video i did

[@gavinbroad1743]

@@lifes.projects Thank you and will do. I used petrol on the sills, but that freaked the neighbours out. 😂

[@lifes.projects]

@@gavinbroad1743 😂😂

[@gavinbroad1743]

@@lifes.projects How loud was the needle gun? Need to consider the already wary neighbours... 😬

[@lifes.projects]

@@gavinbroad1743 Very loud! Imagine hitting a lump hammer on a sheet of steel then imagine it at 50 times a second 😂